Phillips anxious to see Buehler kick off in preseason

The Cowboys used a fifth-round draft pick on USC kicker David Buehler in the hopes his booming leg would solve their field-position problems.

Buehler has looked strong in camp, but Phillips said yesterday he wants to see him perform in the preseason before deciding whether to keep two place-kickers.

Nick Folk handled kickoffs last year, but his efforts rarely reached the end zone. Phillips said he’s kept kickoff specialists on his rosters before. He also said the Giants used one when Joe DeCamillis, now with the Cowboys, was the Giants’ special teams coach.

“If a guy’s good enough, certainly it’s something you have to consider. Whether you do it or not depends on the situation,” Phillips said. “Field position is a big part of the game; the percentages, the further back you are the worst percentage you have of scoring. You have to consider that.”

Another thing to consider when weighing the pros and cons of keeping two kickers on the roster is that Buehler is a good athlete who could make a difference in coverage.

“I’ve never been around a kicker who could do anything else (like Buehler can),” Phillips said. “Most run off the field when they kick the ball. I’ve been around some athletic players, had a punter in Philadelphia named John Telchick, from the University of Texas, good athlete, but they’re few and far between.”

The deciding factor, of course, will be how Buehler does in the preseason.

“I want to see him kick off in game situations first,” Phillips said. “He did it in college and here in practice. The first thing is to see how well he does in a game situation in his kicking and then go from there.”